Græ

Græ (stylized in all lowercase) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney. The double album was released in two parts by Jagjaguwar. The first part was released digitally on February 21, 2020, followed by the full album, including its second part, on May 15, 2020.

Græ
Studio album by Moses Sumney
Released	May 15, 2020
Genre	Art pop[1] art rock[2][3] avant-jazz[4][5] classical[2][6] folk[1][2][6]
Length	65:44
Label	Jagjaguwar
Producer	Moses Sumney Adult Jazz Ben Baptie John Congleton FKJ Daniel Lopatin Matthew Otto
Moses Sumney chronology
Aromanticism (2017) Græ (2020)
Singles from Græ
"Virile" Released: November 14, 2019 "Polly" Released: December 13, 2019 "Me in 20 Years" Released: January 6, 2020 "Cut Me" Released: February 7, 2020 "Bless Me" Released: May 11, 2020

Græ features contributions from a wide range of musicians, writers and producers, including Daniel Lopatin, Thundercat, Jill Scott, James Blake, Taiye Selasi, John Congleton, Rob Moose, Ezra Miller, Michael Chabon, Matthew Otto, Ian Chang, and FKJ.

The album was preceded by five singles: "Virile", "Polly", "Me in 20 Years", "Cut Me", and "Bless Me".

Background and recording

Some of the songs on Græ, including "Virile", were recorded by Sumney with drummer Ian Chang of Son Lux and producer/engineer Ben Baptie at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, North Carolina.[7] Sumney first lived in Asheville before and during the making of Aromanticism,[8][9] and Græ is Sumney's first album since officially relocating to Asheville from Los Angeles.[10] The album was mixed by Ben Baptie at Strongroom and mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound.[11]

Release

"Virile" was released as the album's first single on November 14, 2019.[12] The album was announced the same day.[13]

"Polly" was released as the second single on December 13, 2019,[14] followed by "Me in 20 Years" on January 6, 2020,[15][16] and "Cut Me" on February 7.[17][18] Sumney made his US television debut with a performance of the latter track on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on February 11.[19][20][21] The album's first part was released digitally on February 21.

"Bless Me" was released as the album's fifth and final single on May 11, 2020,[22][23] with the full album released four days later.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.4/10[24]
Metacritic	90/100[25]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The A.V. Club	B+[26]
DIY	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A[2]
The Independent	[27]
NME	[1]
The Observer	(Part 1)[28] (Part 2)[3]
Pitchfork	8.6/10[29]
Q	(Part 1)[30] (Part 2)[31]
Uncut	8/10[32]

Græ received rave reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 from reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 90, based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[25] According to Metacritic, it was the 5th best-reviewed album of 2020.[33] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[24]

A. D. Amorosi of Variety praised the album, calling it a "magnificent, multi-genre mess in a dress of many colors" and "one of the year's boldest and best."[34] Jenessa Williams of DIY gave the album a perfect score, calling it "complex, unconventional and ultimately, essential."[4] Marcus J. Moore of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A, writing, "græ finds him trying to be, well, everything, and through a convergence of folk, jazz, classical, and art-rock, along with his probing lyricism, Sumney has managed to produce a sonic marvel."[2]

Max Freedman of The A.V. Club praised Part 1 for showcasing Sumney "step outside previous comfort zones" with "Conveyor", "Neither/Nor", and "Virile". However, Freedman criticized Part 2 as lacking the stylistic and thematic variety of Part 1 and for occupying "shockingly familiar musical territory" to that of the songs on Aromanticism.[26]

Year-end lists

Year-end list accolades for Græ

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
The A.V. Club	The 20 best albums of 2020	9	[35]
Clash	Albums of the Year 2020	24	[36]
Double J	The 50 best albums of 2020	22	[37]
Esquire (UK)	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	5	[38]
Exclaim!	50 Best Albums of 2020	16	[39]
The Fader	The 50 best albums of 2020	9	[40]
Gigwise	51 Best Albums of 2020	34	[41]
The Guardian	The 50 best albums of 2020	10	[42]
The Independent	The 40 best albums of 2020	5	[43]
The Line of Best Fit	The Best Albums of 2020	5	[44]
Los Angeles Times	The 10 best albums of 2020	7	[45]
Mojo	The 75 Best Albums of 2020	13	[46]
The New York Times	Jon Pareles' Best Albums of 2020	3	[47]
Paste	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	10	[48]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	3	[49]
Rolling Stone	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	18	[50]
Slant Magazine	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	35	[51]
Stereogum	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	40	[52]
Uncut	The Top 75 Albums of the Year	24	[53]
Under the Radar	Top 100 Albums of 2020	2	[54]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Græ.[11]

Part 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Insula"	Moses Sumney Taiye Selasi Ayesha K. Faines	Sumney Daniel Lopatin^[a]	0:46
2.	"Cut Me"	Sumney Adult Jazz Lopatin	Adult Jazz Sumney Lopatin^[a]	4:10
3.	"In Bloom"	Sumney	Sumney Matthew Otto^[a]	3:02
4.	"Virile"	Sumney YVETTE	Sumney Andrew Chugg^[a] Ben Baptie^[a] Lopatin^[a]	4:16
5.	"Conveyor"	Sumney YVETTE	Sumney Andrew Chugg^[a] Ben Baptie^[a] Lopatin^[a]	3:23
6.	"Boxes"	Michael Chabon Ezra Miller Faines Selasi Sumney	Sumney Lopatin^[a]	1:22
7.	"Gagarin"	Sumney Esbjörn Svensson Dan Berglund Magnus Öström	Sumney Baptie^[a]	5:54
8.	"Jill/Jack" (featuring Jill Scott)	Jill Scott Sumney	Sumney Lopatin^[a]	1:33
9.	"Colouour"	FKJ Sumney	FKJ Sumney Lopatin^[a]	3:07
10.	"Also Also Also And And And"	FKJ Sumney Selasi Miller	FKJ Sumney	1:31
11.	"Neither/Nor"	Sumney	Sumney Baptie John Congleton	5:26
12.	"Polly"	Sumney Tom Gallo	Sumney	3:38
Total length:				38:08

Part 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Two Dogs"	Lopatin Sumney	Lopatin Sumney	3:56
14.	"Bystanders"	Sumney Otto Lopatin	Otto Sumney Lopatin^[a]	4:14
15.	"Me in 20 Years"	Sumney Otto	Otto Sumney Lopatin^[a]	3:40
16.	"Keeps Me Alive"	Sumney	Sumney	2:56
17.	"Lucky Me"	Sumney James Blake	Sumney Blake^[a] Lopatin^[a]	4:57
18.	"And So I Come to Isolation"	Selasi Sumney	Sumney Lopatin^[a]	0:49
19.	"Bless Me"	Sumney	Sumney Congleton	4:59
20.	"Before You Go"	Selasi Michaela Coel Miller Sumney	Sumney	2:05
Total length:				27:36

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer.
• "Insula", "Boxes", "Jill/Jack", "Also Also Also And And And", "And So I Come to Isolation" and "Before You Go" are stylized in all lowercase.
• "Gagarin" contains elements from "Gagarin's Point Of View", written by Esbjörn Svensson, Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström.
• "Jill/Jack" contains interpolations from "Cross My Mind", written by Jill Scott.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Græ.[11]

Musicians Moses Sumney – vocals (all singing and arrangement), piano (2, 3, 11), guitar (3, 11, 19), keyboards (8), bass (11), percussion (11), synthesizers (12), saxophone and flute arrangements (13), additional percussion (19), piano FX (20) Thundercat – bass (1, 3, 4, 18) Daniel Lopatin – synthesizers (1, 2, 9, 13–15, 18), bass (2), drum programming (2), keyboards (9) Rob Moose – strings (1, 3, 4, 17, 18), string arrangement (3, 4, 17) Keith Tutt II – strings (1, 18), cello (3, 4) Adult Jazz – bass (2), synthesizers (2), horns (2), piano (2) Brandon Coleman – bass (2), synthesizers (2, 19), piano (7), additional synthesizers (7) Ian Chang – drums (2, 4, 5, 11, 19), drum programming (2), percussion (11, 19) Jonathan Slater – horns (2) Jamire Williams – drums (3, 7, 8, 19) Matthew Otto – synthesizers (3, 14, 15) Noah Kardos-Fein – guitar (4, 5) Ben Baptie – drum programming (4, 5, 11, 19), additional synthesizers (7), piano FX (20) Brandee Younger – harp (4, 13, 18) Nubya Garcia – flute (4, 13) Mike Haldeman – guitar (5, 6, 19), guitar FX (7, 8) John Keek – saxophone (5, 6) Shahzad Ismaily – bass synthesizer (7), additional synthesizers (7), bass (8, 19, 20) FKJ – saxophone (9), keyboards (9), synthesizers (9), all instrumentation (10) Shabaka Hutchings – saxophone (9, 13) Tunde Jegede – kora (11) Tom Gallo – guitar (12) James Blake – drum programming (17), keyboards (17) John Congleton – guitar (19), additional percussion (19) Jamie Stewart – organ (19), drum programming (19)

Engineers Moses Sumney – engineering (1, 3–20) Daniel Lopatin – engineering (1, 13, 14, 17) Steph Marziano – engineering (2) Jake Viator – engineering (2, 5, 7, 8, 15, 19, 20) Ricardo Wheelock – engineering (2, 3, 7, 12, 15) Matthew Otto – engineering (3, 14, 15) Mac DeMarco – engineering (3) Andrew Chugg – engineering (4–6) Alexis Berthelot – engineering (4–6) Ben Baptie – engineering (4, 5, 11, 12, 19, 20), mixing Rashaan Carter – engineering (harp on 4, 13, 18) Simon Ribchester – engineering (5; piano on 11) FKJ – engineering (9, 10) Matt Cohn – engineering (9, 13, 17) Sean Cook – engineering (11, 19) Tom Gallo – engineering (12) James Blake – engineering (17) Tom Archer – mix assistance Joe LaPorta – mastering Artwork Moses Sumney – art direction Julian Gross – art direction, design Eric Gyamfi – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Græ

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[55]	44
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[56]	8
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[57]	28

References

1. Aubrey, Elizabeth (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney – 'grae' review: complex two-part double album defies boundaries and genre". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
2. Moore, Marcus J. (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney's græ is a sonic marvel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
3. Empire, Kitty (May 10, 2020). "Moses Sumney: Græ Part Two review – introspective magic". The Observer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
4. Williams, Jenessa (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney – græ". DIY. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
5. Crone, David. "græ – Moses Sumney". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
6. "Moses Sumney Explores Identity and Isolation on the Dazzling græ | Paste Magazine". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
7. "Moses Sumney Releases New Single and Video from Upcoming Album "græ"". Echo Mountain Recording. November 14, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
8. Wallace, Carvell (April 30, 2020). "Moses Sumney Is a Natural Wonder". Here Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
9. Easter, Makeda (April 12, 2018). "Moses Sumney is taking his 'space hammock' music to the Coachella stage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
10. Edwin, Oliver (April 7, 2020). "Moses Sumney on fame, masculinity and new album græ". Russh. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
11. Græ (PDF) (booklet). Moses Sumney. Jagjaguwar. 2020. JAG348. Retrieved May 19, 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
12. Kaye, Ben (November 14, 2019). "Moses Sumney announces double album græ, shares "Virile": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
13. Monroe, Jazz (November 14, 2019). "Moses Sumney Announces New Double Album græ, Shares New Song "Virile"". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
14. Breihan, Tom (December 13, 2019). "Moses Sumney – "Polly"". Stereogum. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
15. Renshaw, David (January 6, 2020). "Moses Sumney shares new song "Me in 20 Years"". The Fader. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
16. Sodomsky, Sam (January 6, 2020). "Listen to Moses Sumney's New Song "Me in 20 Years"". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
17. Bloom, Madison (February 7, 2020). "Moses Sumney Shares New Song "Cut Me": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
18. Corcoran, Nina (February 7, 2020). "Moses Sumney drops new song "Cut Me": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
19. Minsker, Evan (February 12, 2020). "Watch Moses Sumney Perform "Cut Me" on Colbert". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
20. Droke, Carolyn (February 12, 2020). "Moses Sumney Showcases His Incredibly Dynamic Vocal Range With A Performance Of 'Cut Me' On 'Colbert'". Uproxx. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
21. Jones, Austin (February 12, 2020). "Watch Moses Sumney Perform "Cut Me" on Colbert". Paste. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
22. Minsker, Evan (May 11, 2020). "Moses Sumney Shares New Song "Bless Me": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
23. Neale, Matthew (May 12, 2020). "Moses Sumney shares dreamy new track 'Bless Me'". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
24. "græ by Moses Sumney reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
25. "græ by Moses Sumney Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
26. Freedman, Max (May 13, 2020). "Moses Sumney's ambitious Grae destroys binaries from within". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
27. O'Connor, Roisin; Bray, Elisa (May 14, 2020). "Album reviews: Perfume Genius, Sparks and Moses Sumney". The Independent. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
28. Empire, Kitty (March 1, 2020). "Moses Sumney: Grae review – double album's stunning first instalment". The Observer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
29. Greene, Jayson (May 15, 2020). "Moses Sumney: græ Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
30. Howe, Rupert (May 2020). "The Promised Land". Q. No. 410. p. 102.
31. Barton, Laura (July 2020). "Moses Sumney: Grae (Part 2)". Q. No. 412. p. 113.
32. Anderson, Jason (June 2020). "Moses Sumney: Græ". Uncut. No. 277. p. 38.
33. "The 40 Best Albums of 2020: græ by Moses Sumney". Metacritic. December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
34. Amorosi, A. D. (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney's 'Græ': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
35. "The 20 best albums of 2020". The A.V. Club. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
36. "Clash Albums Of The Year 2020". Clash. December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
37. "The 50 best albums of 2020". Double J. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
38. Ovenden, Olivia (December 11, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Esquire (UK). Retrieved December 11, 2020.
39. "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020". Exclaim!. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
40. "The 50 best albums of 2020". The Fader. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
41. "The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020". Gigwise. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
42. "The 50 best albums of 2020". The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
43. "The 40 best albums of 2020, from Bob Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways to Taylor Swift's Folklore". The Independent. December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
44. Holdsworth, Bryony (December 3, 2020). "The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
45. Wood, Mikael (December 9, 2020). "The 10 best albums of 2020: Taylor Swift, Fiona Apple, more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
46. "The 75 Best Albums Of 2020". Mojo. No. 326. January 2021. p. 52.
47. Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (December 2, 2020). "Best Albums of 2020". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
48. "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Paste. November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
49. Tolentino, Jia (December 8, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
50. Bernstein, Jonathan (December 4, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
51. "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Slant Magazine. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
52. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Stereogum. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
53. "The Top 75 Albums Of The Year". Uncut. No. 284. January 2021. p. 78.
54. "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
55. "Portuguesecharts.com – Moses Sumney – Græ". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
56. "Moses Sumney Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
57. "Moses Sumney Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.

External links

• Græ Lyric Booklet at Sumney's website.